Xloghttps://www.xero.net
A blog with way more XWed, 31 Jan 2018 00:41:23 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4https://i1.wp.com/www.xero.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cropped-xlog_favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1Xloghttps://www.xero.net
3232109909052Forget the A-List After Allhttps://www.xero.net/2008/02/15/forget-the-a-list-after-all/
https://www.xero.net/2008/02/15/forget-the-a-list-after-all/#respondFri, 15 Feb 2008 05:00:00 +0000https://www.xero.net/2018/01/04/forget-the-a-list-after-all/You’ve got to read “Is the Tipping Point Toast?” by Clive Thompson in FastCompany. The gist of Thompson’s piece, based on the work of Duncan Watts of Yahoo Research, is that the theory that a select few “key influencers” matter more than “the rest of us” when it comes to viral and word-of-mouth marketing campaigns is flawed. Said Watts:

“It [achieving marketing success through influentials] just doesn’t work. A rare bunch of cool people just don’t have that power. And when you test the way marketers say the world works, it falls apart. There’s no there there.”

In contrast to influential marketing, Watt’s believes the key factor is the readiness of the market: “If society is ready to embrace a trend, almost anyone can start one—and if it isn’t, then almost no one can.” There will be first movers, but almost anyone can be this first mover—and therefore what Watts calls an “accidental Influential.”

My money is on Watts. If you agree, it should change your perspective on marketing:

Spend less time and effort on industry events and other focused PR and marketing that involves sucking up to journalists, analysts, and experts. Spend more time and effort pressing the flesh of real customers. Typically, you won’t meet too many customers at a Ritz Carlton.

Try mass marketing because you never know who will be your “accidental Influential.” Or, as the saying goes, “Let a hundred flowers blossom” to determine who “gets” your product. Admittedly, the challenge is to find a cost-effective way to do mass marketing.

Forget A-list bloggers. Lousy reviews by them cannot tank your product. Great reviews cannot make it successful. Focus on big numbers—any Technorati 1,000,000 blogger can be a channel to reach people. If enough people like your product, the A-list bloggers will have to write about you.

How does Watts’ thinking square with evangelism? I don’t see a conflict because evangelism is about “bringing the good news” to everyone and then supporting the people who “get it.” Evangelism is not about sucking up to only people who are famous and self-important. To wit, few Fortune 500 CIOs helped make Macintosh successful. It was unknown artists, designers, hobbyists, and user-group members who made the Macintosh successful, and we could not have identified them in advance.

]]>https://www.xero.net/2008/02/15/forget-the-a-list-after-all/feed/0113Man learns to read after 17 years of teaching high schoolhttps://www.xero.net/2008/02/13/man-learns-to-read-after-17-years-of-teaching-high-school/
https://www.xero.net/2008/02/13/man-learns-to-read-after-17-years-of-teaching-high-school/#respondWed, 13 Feb 2008 18:36:19 +0000https://www.xero.net/2018/01/04/man-learns-to-read-after-17-years-of-teaching-high-school/John Corcoran graduated from college and taught high school for 17 years without being able to read, write or spell. Pretty amazing story.

]]>https://www.xero.net/2008/02/13/man-learns-to-read-after-17-years-of-teaching-high-school/feed/0304Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?https://www.xero.net/2008/02/12/is-obama-a-mac-and-clinton-a-pc/
https://www.xero.net/2008/02/12/is-obama-a-mac-and-clinton-a-pc/#respondTue, 12 Feb 2008 05:35:45 +0000https://www.xero.net/2018/01/04/is-obama-a-mac-and-clinton-a-pc/On one thing, the experts seem to agree. The differences between hillaryclinton.com and barackobama.com can be summed up this way: Barack Obama is a Mac, and Hillary Clinton is a PC.

That is, Mr. Obama’s site is more harmonious, with plenty of white space and a soft blue palette. Its task bar is reminiscent of the one used at Apple’s iTunes site. It signals in myriad ways that it was designed with a younger, more tech-savvy audience in mind — using branding techniques similar to the ones that have made the iPod so popular.

]]>https://www.xero.net/2008/02/12/is-obama-a-mac-and-clinton-a-pc/feed/0303Microsoft succumbs to Apple envy, buys Dangerhttps://www.xero.net/2008/02/11/microsoft-succumbs-to-apple-envy-buys-danger/
https://www.xero.net/2008/02/11/microsoft-succumbs-to-apple-envy-buys-danger/#respondTue, 12 Feb 2008 02:35:49 +0000https://www.xero.net/2018/01/04/microsoft-succumbs-to-apple-envy-buys-danger/Microsoft was too busy to read its rejection letter from Yahoo this morning, as it announced its intention to buy Danger, the maker of the popular Sidekick smart phone. The move suggests that the Redmond Giant plans to compete with its partners in the handset business.

]]>https://www.xero.net/2008/02/11/microsoft-succumbs-to-apple-envy-buys-danger/feed/0302Seattle Taps Its Inner Silicon Valleyhttps://www.xero.net/2008/02/09/seattle-taps-its-inner-silicon-valley/
https://www.xero.net/2008/02/09/seattle-taps-its-inner-silicon-valley/#respondSat, 09 Feb 2008 07:43:12 +0000https://www.xero.net/2018/01/04/seattle-taps-its-inner-silicon-valley/Many communities dream of becoming the next Silicon Valley. But Seattle is actually doing it. The influx of entrepreneurs and of venture capitalists to bankroll them is slowly reshaping this city and a regional economy long buffeted by the booms and busts of the aerospace and timber industries. A start-up ecosystem needs social networks, support businesses and a business culture that views failure as a badge of honor, not shame. All of that is in place in Seattle.

Money is pouring in. During the last 12 years, venture capital investment here has more than tripled, to about $1 billion annually. Last year Washington tied with Texas as the third-largest destination for venture capital money nationwide, behind California and Massachusetts.

The man’s use of pronouns (never I), of inspirational language and of poetic meter — “WE are the CHANGE that we SEEK” — is unprecedented in recent memory. [sic] there was something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism — “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” — of the Super Tuesday speech and the recent turn of the Obama campaign. “This time can be different because this campaign for the presidency of the United States of America is different. It’s different not because of me. It’s different because of you.” That is not just maddeningly vague but also disingenuous: the campaign is entirely about Obama and his ability to inspire. Rather than focusing on any specific issue or cause — other than an amorphous desire for change — the message is becoming dangerously self-referential.

Klein sums up the Obama campaign, “The Obama campaign all too often is about how wonderful the Obama campaign is.” It is time for Obama to speak substantively.

]]>https://www.xero.net/2008/02/08/inspiration-vs-substance/feed/0300100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashupshttps://www.xero.net/2008/02/06/100-things-to-do-with-google-maps-mashups/
https://www.xero.net/2008/02/06/100-things-to-do-with-google-maps-mashups/#respondWed, 06 Feb 2008 05:07:41 +0000https://www.xero.net/2018/01/04/100-things-to-do-with-google-maps-mashups/100 cool things you can do with Google Maps Mashups. My favorites: 1) Find Fast Food in the US 2) Find a WiFi Hotspot in the US 3) Map US telephone area codes 4) Google Map your blog or website visitors 5) Check the time in a world location. What are yours?